Clothes-line tightener.



D. W. RA-NTINE; GLQTHBS APPLICATION IILIIDv MAY 4, 1910.

LINE TIGHTENEB..

Patented Feb. 21, 1911.

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DANIEL W. RANTINE, 0F NEW YORK, N. Y.

CLOTHES-LINE TIGHTENER.

Specication of Letters Patent.

Application led May 4, 1910.

' Patented Feb. 21, 1911.

Serial No. 559,277.

To all whom it 'may concern:

Be it known that I, Dimmi. IV. RANTINE, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Brooklyn borough, in the county of Kings, city and State of New York, have invented a certain new and useful Clothes- Line Tightener, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in clothes-line tighteners in which the line supporting pulley is `iournaled in a fork or frame which is slidably mounted on a stationary toothed bar or rack.

My improvement is more particularly designed to advance the durability of life of ropes or lines where a long stretch or distance is between the supports or pulley posts, and the lines or ropes will require more attention and adjusting for varying kinds of work. To attain this object I have reduced to practice my invention by constructing the devices and mechanism illustrated in the drawing following this specication. In these drawings every reference letter refers always to the same part.

Figure 1 is a longitudinal side view of the entire apparatus and a portion of a postor support in section is shown therewith. A part Vof the pulley-frame or yoke which takes over the toothed-bar or rack is left olf to give a clear view of the interior devices or tooth-sets in the construction, and by dotted lines showing the pulley and the cylindrical shell or yoke transferred to the outward end on the rack. Fig. 2 is a cross section on line 2-2 in Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 is a top view of a portion of the toothed-bar or rack, showing the preferred standing of the teeth for purposes which will be further fully described.

The main part or toothed bar B has one portion of its shank made to a screw C2 and to a flange C having a screw hole C1 through which a screw is fastened to the support or post A. The advantage in having the rack or bar B secured to the support by two screws is to prevent it from turning while the pulley and frame E and the pulley shell El is turned on this rack. A set of teeth B2 is on this rack forming a plurality of holds or pockets B1. Along the side of the toothed surface on the bar B is made a groove B2'` and a stop pin B4 is on the far end on the rack. The object of the teeth on the rack is to hold the pulley construction from sliding on the rack, and the object of the groove B3 is to allow the pulley construction to slide when required and the pin or stop B4 prevents the pulley accidentally sliding olf from the rack.

Over the rack B is mounted the pulley holder yoke or shell E having a set of interior teeth E2 which corresponds to the teeth B2 on the rack. The rearward lower portion of this toothed shell is made to a handle H. This handle, the pulley-fork and the toothed shell are constructed of two half parts which are united or fastened together by the rivets P seen in Figs. 1 and 2.

The operation of this apparatus is easily understood by remembering that the rack or bar B is stationary and the pulley construction is partly turnably and also slidably mounted on this rack, and by turning the pulley shell on the rack it can be engaged with or released from engagement with the toothedrack. the pulley is drawn rearward, this tightens the line Gr as seen in Fig. 1 and the teeth of the rack acting against the teeth of the pulley-shell holds the said pulley and line in this position and the locking teeth having a slanting direction (as shown in Fig. toward the outward end will hold better when weight is on the line G. To loosen the line and the pulley from this last named engagement, the handle H is turned to the direction shown by the arrow in Fig. 3. This will bring the teeth E2 of the shell El into the groove B3 of the rack or bar B. This groove is open to the whole length of the bar and allows the pulley to be slid forth or back and when slid toward the outreaching end the line G will be loose as shown by the dotted lines in the Fig. l.

I-Iaving thus described my invention so clearly that anyone skilled in the art to which it appertains is able to make and use the same what I claim is:

A clothes line tightener comprising a bar having means for attachment to a suitable standard and provided with a longitudinally extending groove, teeth on said bar alongside said groove, a line pulley support slidable and rotatably mounted on said bar, teeth on said support adapted to engage said bar teeth in one position to which the said support is rotated, to hold the line in In the rst instance,

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fixed position, the teeth on said support being adapted, in another position, to lie in said groove to permit free longitudinal movement of said Support along said bai 5 and a handle on saiclline pulley support for manipulating the same.

In testimoni]r whereof I have signed my DANIEL W. RANTINE. Vitnesses WVM. H. MARQUND, ROBERT J. BENNETT. 

